Three days after Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Bastar district, killing 27 people including top leaders of the party in the State, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh spoke to Raipur Correspondent Suvojit Bagchi on what he sees as the shortcomings of the anti-Maoist policies and strategies designed by the Central government. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader underlined the need for better coordination between the States and the Centre and more focussed and intense handling of the situation.

What are the steps your government is planning to ensure that such incidents do not recur?

First, we have to find out the details about these people — who were they, which States did they come from, who carried out this act? Secondly, we have to take precautions…we need 100 per cent implementation of a standard operating procedure (SOP). Elections are nearing and the activities of political parties will increase. So we have to station forces at critical locations and ensure road-domination exercises. I have ordered these things. Two new battalions [of the CRPF] are coming, policing will get better.

You mean politicians will also come under some sort of SOP?

We’ve to do it for all. So that everyone is safe in the area.

You’ve enough forces in the State to do that?

Yes. Some forces are also coming after training, some CRPF and State forces are joining as well.

You spoke about security lapses…

If everything was in place, such a big incident would not have happened. Now what went wrong and where, we will look into that in a judicial inquiry, so that we can clear everything in front of everyone and the guilty are punished.

We talk of judicial inquiries, but the conviction rate is very low.

Lack of evidence. In any tribal area, where any incident takes place, there is an atmosphere of fear. People get picked up but they cannot talk against them [Maoists]. They know they’ll have to stay in Bastar. So while people get identified, it’s a problem to make them talk in court.

One issue of discontent among the tribals is arrests. They are picked up randomly and remain for four, five, six years in jail as undertrials. The judicial process is slow and families suffer, they get frustrated. Maoists campaign that innocents are kept in jail for no reason…

The Chief Secretary and a former Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh have come together and a three-member team is reviewing this. They are identifying cases of those who have been in jail for years. We have wrapped up all the cases related to small violations under the Forest Act and Excise cases. We are reviewing naxal-related cases.

Still a huge number of tribals are languishing in jail…

Yes. The number is huge…

Another contentious issue is this: when the forces go inside, they don’t know who is a Maoist and who isn’t — and they sometimes resort to huge human rights violations. And it is going to increase, as more forces will go inside now…

Now so many people have died, and there was no human rights violation? Nobody is thinking that father and son have been killed together, drivers and police personnel have been killed. What happens when people are killed in village courts and are chopped to pieces? A small violation by the police goes a long way, but what about the Maoists…? Will this continue in a democracy, will they not be criticised by society? Human rights violations should not be one-sided.

Are you happy with the level of Central assistance?

Central support, as in paramilitary support… that is fine. I told the Prime Minister I would like to go beyond this. We need an Integrated Action Plan to increase inter-State coordination and the Government of India should encourage that.

You mean to say there are shortcomings in the integrated plan?

There are shortcomings. All the resources like planning, intelligence, etc., should integrate [to fight Naxalism]. There should be one centre from where all information regarding Naxalism should be disseminated to the States. There should be some long-term strategy, which will be decided together. So far, there is no success in this coordination.

Naxalism should be treated [by the Central government] as a national problem. The way they [the Central government] engaged themselves, with all the force and strength, in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, they should do that in Chhattisgarh.

Politically speaking, is the BJP on the backfoot after the incident?

Over the last three years we worked hard and moved forward. This one incident has slightly… (trailing off). The incident surely will scatter us for a while, but we will fight with all our ability and strength.

But the Congress is aggressive. How are you going to deal with that?

Some talk about President’s Rule! If for such an incident President’s Rule is imposed, then will any Indian State survive? One should not try to take political advantage of the situation.

It is not good to bring in political differences between our parties if wish to deal with Maoists and Naxals. The battle with the Naxals has to be fought basically on the political front by ensuring that welfare of original inhabitants of forests, the tribal communities, for whom the Naxals claim to be fighting, gets top priority of both the State and Central governments. It is necessary to ensure participation of people in implementation of development schemes meant for benefit of tribal communities. It is here that political battle with Naxals would be far more intense, as the Naxals would make all efforts to convince the people that the government programmes are not good for them. Obviously, dealing with Naxals’ violence is like treading on not a difficult terrain and there are no easy solutions. As regards steps to curb violence of the Naxals, we must take steps to reduce to the minimum supplies of arms, explosives and money, through national and international routes.

from:
Narendra M Apte

Posted on: May 31, 2013 at 12:56 IST

It is ill advised to confront the issue of Naxals by force. Government should ensure that people in the affected areas should feel the pulse of justice and equality. The illegal mining and other issues reported should be strictly dealt with. Security forces should ensure that extortion weather by Naxals /politicians should be strictly monitored and if reports are filed with security forces, the case should be pursued without any fear or favour. Rehabilitation activities, basic amenities should be developed. People in these areas should feel that they are also citizens of this country, then all this naxalism would evoprate. The above said needs, purity of mind, unself attitute, which this country is missing.

from:
C.D.ANANDAN

Posted on: May 31, 2013 at 10:00 IST

Govt cannot turn a blind eye on the apathy of the tribal people in living in this region, Govt will only talk of the humongous action plan when some one gets killed in the naxal attack, our poor soldiers and innocent tribals are getting killed for the benefit of the govt and the mining barons. Let me ask the then Home Minister of implementing Operation Green Hunt, what are you hunting your own citizens? instead you would have hunted the foreign terrorists who kill innocent people in India, what is your progress on the Mumbai attacks, simply hanging a scape goat like Ajmal Kasab will not earn you points.Why the media is silent in reporting the irregularities in allotting the mining licences in the Tribal areas, how is that going to help the poor people living in forest and depending on this piece of land for their survival, Govt rather than making irrelevant comments like sending army and air-force should sit and talk to the affected people, or else this will never end.

from:
Shekar

Posted on: May 31, 2013 at 09:40 IST

The common people(tribals) are getting sandwiched between the administration and the maoists.When Raman Singh accepts that the number is huge of the tribals currently in jail,he should take steps to ensure the trail process completes soon otherwise innocents get trapped and this has been the trend for long now.Human rights violation is on both sides we should not forget the incident which took place last year in Sarkeguda,Chhattisgarh,around 18 villagers were killed and 7 of them were below the age of 12,so Dr.Raman Singh wasn't it HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION ?
Violence on any one's part cannot be justified be it the maoist of the para military force.

from:
Prashant Mukherjee

Posted on: May 30, 2013 at 21:17 IST

It is true that killing of people to attain any kind of political or personal vendetta is contemptible.

however I have a vague feeling that instead of pushing more force into the region our country should try to resolve the core issues that makes such situation arise in these regions.

Simultaneously with force to PROTECT people and property we should sent in education, poverty evading solutions to the region.

from:
Manu

Posted on: May 30, 2013 at 10:09 IST

More forces, more violence. If government deployed extra CRPF Jawans in Chhattisgarh, human rights violation will encourage. I do agree with Chief Minister that human rights violation is not one-sided, but in a democratic country the state is primarily responsible to provide secure environment of living. But in the case of Naxal affected areas the state has failed to do so. The history of violence is not new. We should trace its root in pre-independent India and need to take some necessary actions. Actually it became fight for power; one is in power and another is willing to get power, and innocent Adivasi are suffering in this circumstance.

from:
Ambikesh Kumar Tripathi

Posted on: May 30, 2013 at 09:58 IST

Under the Indian Constitution, the Fifth Schedule clearly puts the Tribal Areas under the stewardship of the Governor. The Governor has been entrusted to create a Tribal Advisory Council which will administer the Tribal Areas and the resources will go to the Tribals after their consent in developing the forests. In 65 years the Fifth Schedule has NOT been implemented. The Chief Minister is illegally controlling the Tribal Areas and making a mockery of the Constitution. The State Government enters into contract with private interests to plunder the resources violating the laws. In order for the cycle of violence to end, the tribals must have the power to administer their forests and the Fifth Schedule must me implemented. The Chief Minister's role must be curbed as soon as possible. No army or police force can fight guerrilla tactics, remember our fiasco in Sri Lanka?